Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sticky Toffee Banana Brownies

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Okay, so imagine if a chocolate fudge brownie and a banana bread had a love child. And now imagine if that love child got married to a sticky toffee pudding. This is what the honeymoon would look like. YES. I know I got a little carried away. It started off as a simple need to use up some ripe bananas, I didn't have any more space in my freezer for it...and then ooh I had leftover Lindt chocolate! And next thing I know I had made this monster of a dessert. But OH MY GOD IT TASTES SO GOOD.
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This dessert is what our modern-day Cookie Monster would classify strictly as a 'sometimes food'. Yes, there is basically a whole block of butter once you add the sauce...and a whole lot of cream and sugar...but as long as you can restrict your portion size then you can happily enjoy it. I suppose it's like everything I bake on this blog, everything in moderation.
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But I had a little trouble stopping myself from eating a lot of this. When I took it out of the oven the entire corner somehow magically disappeared into my mouth within 5 minutes. When I whipped up the toffee sauce and drizzled it on top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it was gone even faster than that. And A must have eaten two servings big enough to feed an entire table of people. When I placed it in front of him he said, "It looks good..." to which I replied cockily, "It IS good. It's really good". This made him scoff and tell me I was full of it. But then he ate it. And made a noise that was sounded sort of like, "Mmmohmmmmpphfffffffyummmwowwwohhh", and promptly asked for another portion before he had even finished his first portion. This is coming from the boy who doesn't like desserts and usually looks like he is in pain when I shove a spoonful of something in his mouth for him to taste test.
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The key to this dish is the lovely flavour of the ripe bananas mixed in with that rich dark chocolate. I used 70% cocoa Lindt, which meant that the brownie was a bit more bitter and not as sweet as my usual brownies, but this made it perfect for the banana and the sweet sticky toffee sauce. The sauce is very sweet, so if you want to save a few calories and skip the sauce, I would recommend using a less bitter semi-sweet dark chocolate for your brownie. I used vanilla bean paste for my toffee sauce which infused it with a beautifully heady flavour and scent. Make sure you don't overbake the brownie, as it will make it dry rather than fudgy, and it's best eaten on when freshly baked because it will still be gooey and warm inside while having a crackly, crisp outer layer. Vanilla ice cream is a must for me, but I did serve it with just the sauce on its own the next day and it still tasted pretty awesome.
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Banana Chocolate Brownies with Sticky Toffee Sauce
For the brownie:
250g mashed ripe banana (approx 2-3 medium bananas)
200g unsalted butter
190g dark chocolate (I used 70% lindt)
3 eggs
230g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour
add banana with chocolate

For the sticky toffee sauce:
175g butter
175ml pure cream
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)
280g brown sugar

To serve: Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line a 20x30cm (or larger if you prefer thinner brownies like me) baking tin. Cut butter into cubes and roughly chop up chocolate and place both in a heatproof bowl. Melt chocolate and butter together over a double boiler (or very carefully in the microwave) and then set aside to cool. I call this The Bowl of Sin.
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The Bowl of Sin
Beat eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer on low speed until they are well combined. Beat in chocolate mixture and mashed banana until combined well.
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Fold flour gently into the mixture until just combined, taking care to not overmix.
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Pour into prepared tin, smooth over with a spatula and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with moist crumbs and no raw batter stuck to it. It is better to undercook it slightly when taking it out of the oven as it will cook a little more while cooling in the tin.Cool completely in its tray on a wire rack then turn out onto rack and cut into squares.
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While the brownies are cooling, place all the ingredients for the toffee sauce in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and cool.
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Serve brownies with a scoop of vanilla icecream and drizzle the warm sticky toffee sauce on top. Yum.
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P.S. Apologies for the really ugly scoop of ice cream in the photos, all I had for scooping the ice cream at the time was a tiny teaspoon, and on a hot day melty desserts are not my camera's friend!
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28 comments:

  1. Oh this is a really bad time of night to see this! Now supposed to eat any more before bed!

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  2. Why am I reading this at 9.30pm when I feel like something just like this? Banana and choc then add caramel, oh wow the love child of their honeymoon :) Totally looks and sounds delish.

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  3. Oh yay for fudgey brownies! And I think my heart just stopped at the sight of all that butter! :P

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  4. This sounds like my kind of orgy!! Sweet, chocolatey and topped off with some sticky toffee hahaha :P

    Im surprised you even had a piece to photo ;)

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  5. OMG! This is brilliant! I was just trying to decide between baking banana bread or chocolate brownies this weekend, and now I have my answer! Thanks :D

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  6. Oh wow. Love the love child idea. Love the bowl of sin. Love the whole idea!

    Also, I have to say the ice cream looks bloody divine - no 'ugly' worries there.

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  7. Now that's what I call a honeymoon! lol. Sounds divine and there's nothing sexier than melting ice cream dripping with toffee...

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  8. If you're going to recommend eating things in moderation you're going to have to stop making such irresistible delights. How could anyone employ self control when faced with this?

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  9. yum. you could call it a Banoffee Brownie though? fat and sugar always takes good :-)

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  10. i love your descriptions, but you know, the photos kind of say it all... drool

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  11. I have been waited for the recipe after hearing this from you. Who could resist a dessert that combines banana bread and brownie in one! As for the ice cream.... the bigger scope the better!

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  12. I'ma big fan of "love child" desserts. A dripping shot is always good although it's so hard to photograph ice cream isn't it!

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  13. Ooooh this looks sososososososo good!
    Now i'm craving brownies or something loaded with sugar!
    Sticky Toffee Banana Brownies sound like an excellent idea.

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  14. Oh my. This is THE recipe to try!

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  15. omfg I'm drooling looking at it. All my hard work with my dieting is gonna go down the drain. Lol I'd love to attend the honeymoon of the hot mess sticky toffee banana brownie. I suggest a cook up ? =D

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  16. Mmmm I can practically feel the sin oozing off the page.

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  17. Yummy.......This post has brought water on my mouth.

    Lets have some fun. Take the Dessert Personality Test and find out your Personality on the basis of your favorite Dessert. I have taken the test and enjoyed a lot. Hope u too will like it. Have Fun!!

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  18. i do a love a good brownie, esp. served with ice cream! this looks yum!

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  19. I think my Hubby may divorce me and marry you if i tell him where I got this recipe for ... so if its ok with you can I keep that part a secret please?!?!?!?!

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  20. Wow, these sound so decadently rich and sinful! That topping just makes it complete! I can't wait to make a batch of these and (maybe) share them ;)

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  21. You must be joking right to put a picture like that in front of me and say eat in moderation?!? That's got to be THE MOST sinful dessert ever!

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  22. Sticky toffeeee oohhweeeee gosh look at all that gooey fudgey piece of work! beautiful!

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  23. All that butter can't be healthy but looks so delicious!

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  24. Wow these look amazingly good!! Yum yum yum!!

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  25. I can almost touch that brownie. OMG its so close yet so far. Nice dessert Steph..

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  26. yummy - i really like all your creative inventions that sprout from just the simplest recipes

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  27. phonakins - Haha I may have consumed a plateful right before bed...i don't recommend it!

    Sara - Aren't the worst choc cravings always around that time?! :) thanks!

    Karen - Haha yeah, butter is so evil!

    FFichiban - LOL everything is so much better with sticky toffee sauce :) Haha it was a struggle!

    Betty - Haha yes! this is the answer! go forth and bake :)

    Poires au Chocolat - Hahaha :) thanks! I don't mind a bit of melty ice cream either

    Helen - Heehee thanks! Mmm it was definitely more fun eating it than photographing it!

    Conor - haha I know, i'm such a tease :) i definitely didn't have any self control!

    Simon Food Favourites - Haha I suppose..but I always imagine banoffee with a thick dulce de leche rather than a runny sauce.

    chocolatesuze - Hahaha! Have fun on yours :)

    Justin - Haha thanks!

    Ellie - I agree! I need a bigger ice scoop so i can get massive scoops of ice cream!

    Lorraine - Ugh it drives me insane!

    Kristy Sayer - :) thanks so much! It definitely puts you on a sugar high

    Anh- try it! it's so incredibly addictive

    linda - Yes please to cook up!!

    Mark - Ohh yeah it's chock full of sin! Haha!

    collin - err ok...

    panda - Me too! Thank you!

    Chele - LOL yes you have my permission!

    Megan - It was a real struggle to force myself to share these, but I think my waistline was relieved haha

    Trissa - Haha I'm sorry!! It is a pretty evil dessert, it didn't seem fair that it would only tease me alone!

    Trisha - Thanks!

    SK - I lock it away in the butter vault in my brain. it's better if you don't think about it!

    Natalie...- THanks so much!

    A cupcake or two - Hehe thanks!

    Betty - Thank you! I like to keep it simple :)

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